


Three Dog Night

by BettyHT



Series: Robin [1]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 06:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15924980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: The first story in the Robin series:  A year after Laura's treachery with Will, Adam is still feeling the effects from that and the fall from the house he was building for her.  He is melancholy and then a tragedy sends him on a quest for justice that turns into something more.





	Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night

Chapter 1

Impotence: lacking power or strength. It was the same as weakness, wasn't it? It was a word that haunted him. It was how he felt. He thought it was what he was. Sometimes he wondered when he had lost control of his life and realized he had lost it step-by-step not in one fell swoop. It had been an inexorable decline as his father took more responsibility from him and passed it to his two younger brothers as they grew into their maturity until he was less a partner and more an employee. But it was more than that. He listened too much to what people said and what people expected of him trying to please too many and disappointing himself at every turn as a result. The more he did, the less he liked it, and that made him sour and moody lashing out at others with the inevitable result that he hated that part of himself too.

Then Laura happened and though he couldn't blame her for all of it, he knew if she had not come into his life, he would likely have found a way out of this quicksand of despair and loathing. He looked in the mirror knowing he needed to shave and wondering why he should. There was no one to impress, no one to touch his cheek softly or place a kiss there, and likely there never would be. How had he let himself get to this point was the question he asked, but he knew the answer. He had stopped fighting. He had stopped arguing and had given in. It didn't seem worth the effort any more to argue. His logical points were dismissed. Impassioned pleas were met with condescension obscured by a smile that never hid it, and his father probably knew that too, which was infuriating. The only solution to stop him from doing the unthinkable was finally to stop fighting so he had. It was check and mate, and he had wanted to leave, but even that was too much for him now because he couldn't even summon the energy to argue that he had the right to go.

The only times he would argue was when he was forced to protect himself from further harm. He had gotten out of that spring cattle drive though his father had let him know how much of a disappointment that was to him. He had stopped helping his youngest brother with the horse breaking, and Joe had let him know that he too was deeply disappointed with the lack of help with that. He worked and did what he was told he needed to do. He took jobs that often meant he worked alone. It was easier that way. He didn't go to dances or other social events unless he was pushed so hard that any other option was worse, but once there, he was usually disagreeable enough that he wasn't encouraged to go again for a while. Now he had this trip to deliver horses, and he had been unable to summon a logical reason why he shouldn't go. So it was going to be him and his two brothers on a two-week trip to Wyoming to deliver some horses and then a trip back home in which both wanted to do some hunting.

At least Hoss was going to be along. With Hoss there, he could do his best to act normal as if there was nothing wrong. He could try to be the brother they expected him to be, but he wondered when his indecision, his caution, his inattention was going to cost him more than a bruise or a few words from his father or an angry retort from his younger brother. Losing your edge and your will were significant especially when you were the first-born, and the one that had usually been accused of being so bossy. Well, that was certainly being tested these days, and he guessed it would be tested more until he broke. He smirked at himself then. He was already broken. It was really only a matter of others finding out. He shaved, grabbed his saddlebags, and headed down the stairs for some breakfast.

Hoss was using his flapjack like a trumpet and making noises like an elephant. Little Joe was cackling like he usually did at such unexpected things by the usually quiet Hoss, and Ben was leaning back in his chair chuckling at the antics of his two sons. Watching the scene, Adam wondered why he didn't laugh. He was lost in thought for a moment trying to remember when he had lost his ability to laugh with abandon. There had been times in the past when he had thrown back his head and roared with delight at humorous stories or actions. He remembered one of those quite fondly when Joe had tied their father in the outhouse and let him think Adam and Hoss had done it. They had gotten the dirtiest jobs for a week while Little Joe smirked with ill-disguised glee at how well it had all worked out for him. The worst jobs fell to Adam, and as the week went on, they got worse as their father wondered why Adam didn't simply apologize for what he had done. Ben assumed Adam had been the instigator of the deed never thinking that Hoss could have thought of such a thing. Of course, neither Adam nor Hoss would snitch so they suffered through a grueling week, but the resentment of Little Joe had grown to enormous proportions. On Friday, they had gotten their revenge, and in their minds, justice too. They tied Little Joe in the outhouse and left for town hearing him yell for them to come let him out. The hands thought it a marvelous prank and agreed with the brothers that he could stay there until his father came outside and heard him. Then he would have to explain why his brothers had tied him in there. Joe was many things but not a liar. He would need to tell his father that it was in retaliation for what he had done but let them be blamed. Of course, it wouldn't happen quickly. Their father though was good at ferreting out the truth when he came to understand that there was more to a story than he thought that he knew. They had thought the night in town would be about enough time for him to drag every last shred of the truth out of Little Joe. They had laughed long and hard several times that night when Hoss would mimic their father and his usual inquisition techniques, but neither had laughed as hard as they did when they arrived home the next morning to find Little Joe painting the barn on Saturday. He had paint spattered all over him and a scowl that seemed to go on forever. They had laughed so hard, they had to help hold each other up. Adam smiled remembering that day. When he did, the others noticed and thought he was smiling at Hoss' antics with the flapjacks.

"Hey, older brother, happy to see you in a good mood this mornin' 'cause we're startin' out for Wyoming with storm clouds on the horizon."

"Yeah, we were going to come up to see what was taking you so long. Hoss thinks we're going to get wet today."

"Not just wet, Joe, I said this is gonna be a toad strangler. We wanna be far enough along so we don't have ta cross no rivers for a few days at least."

It made Adam feel oddly pleased that his smile had made him welcome at the breakfast table making the conversation light. It was preferable to many of the conversations he had been having lately. The one the previous evening had rankled especially hard. Facing a couple of weeks of being on the trail, Hoss and Joe had decided to spend the night in town taking in the dance and probably spending some time at various saloons as well. Adam had declined their invitation to go which had upset their father.

"Adam, you have to get over this. This thing was a year ago now. You need to make an effort to move on, find a good woman, and settle down. I know it's what you want, but it isn't going to happen if you sit home alone like this. Now you know she'll be expecting you at the dance. You've spent a lot of time with her."

"I have, but I've made no commitment."

"That's just it, isn't it. It's about time you did, and she deserves that."

For about two months, Adam had been seeing a woman or rather had accompanied her to several social engagements. They had enjoyed a picnic together as well. That's all it was to Adam who had decided not to see her again before she got the idea that he planned on something more serious than being her escort if she needed one. He had guessed that gossip had already paired them up but had not realized his father thought the same.

"Listen, there's nothing between us. I don't love her and she doesn't love me. We're friends, and it was convenient to have someone to be with, but if people like to make assumptions, then I shouldn't see her any more."

"People make assumptions? Of course, people make assumptions. I'm sure she's made assumptions too as you've been monopolizing her time for two months. No other man is going to go see her when you've shown her all that attention. What else would you have in mind if not marriage?"

"Marriage? There was never any talk of marriage."

"Well, I saw her parents at church, and they were curious as to when you were going to formally ask her. She's been asking them how long it takes a man to make such an offer."

Genuinely surprised by that, Adam had put up his hands as in in surrender. "All the more reason I should not go to town to the dance. I had no intention of asking her to marry me. Marriage was never a subject I considered with her."

"Maybe you should."

"Maybe it's my business, and no one else has a say." With that, Adam had stalked out of the house and hadn't returned until it was dark. His father had still been upset so Adam had gone up to his room. At least this morning, it looked like there wasn't going to be any confrontation over anything. His brothers looked like they had had a good time and weren't sporting any bruises so they must have stayed out of trouble. Joe was chipper so he hadn't lost his salary for the month either and might have actually won some at poker, which was rare for him. It was all looking to be a very good day until Joe addressed him about RoseMary.

"RoseMary asked about you last night. I told her you weren't feeling well and stayed home to go to bed. I told her you'd talk to her when we got back in a couple of weeks."

"Damn it, Joe, why would you do that?"

"Because I wanted to help you. You don't seem to be able to help yourself."

"I thought I made my feelings clear."

"What the hell is wrong with you? She's a fine woman, and she wants you. There aren't many that you can say that about especially the way you act and the way you treat women."

"I treat women with respect. What's wrong with that?"

"You treat women like you can't wait to find the next one. How do you think that makes them feel?"

"I'm not responsible for how they feel."

"Enough! Can't we have one day without an argument around here? Adam, Joe was only trying to do you a favor. There was no need to yell like that."

"So now it's my fault. I shouldn't be surprised." With that, Adam stood, grabbed his saddlebags and gunbelt, and headed outside.

Ben wanted to stop him but there wasn't any purpose to doing that. He wasn't a boy who needed permission to leave the table although there certainly were times he wished he were. He didn't understand at all what had happened to make him this way. He addressed Hoss and Joe. "I hope things are better on the trail."

"Mebbe we kin stick to business and let Adam have his private business be his own concern. I'll get the grub from Hop Sing and meet you outside."

About to say something about that to Hoss, Joe was stopped by his father's upraised hand. "Let it go, Joe. You aren't going to settle anything anyway. Drop it. I've tried to talk to Adam about this issue and gotten nowhere with it. If anyone can talk to him about it, it will be Hoss. Let's hope that maybe the two of them can have a conversation about this. Sooner or later, Adam has to open up about why he won't let a woman get close to him. He pushes every one away. You're right. Soon, there won't be one who will even give him a chance."

Within about an hour, the three brothers headed out with each one leading a string of horses for the Army. They had one packhorse too. Hoss' prediction about the rain was correct too. By noon, they were riding in a light rain, and by late afternoon, it was a heavy downpour. They decided to push on to get past any potential difficult river crossings that would be made possibly treacherous by runoff. It was late then before they were finally able to make camp. It was a soggy camp too with no place to place a tarp for protection. They finally camped in the shelter of some rocks and slept leaning up against them in the small dry space they afforded. The morning was gray, but that pleased Adam because it meant his brothers weren't in a mood for talking. He preferred it that way.

Chapter 2

Getting the horses watered and back in order for the ride as well as getting breakfast took quite some time and the sun was up and drying things out nicely before they were on the trail again. Seeing Hoss eying the sun frequently, when they took a midmorning break, Adam asked what he was thinking.

"When we plotted this all out on the map and figured how fast we could go, we figured this as about a week and maybe a few days more. As long as it took to get going this morning and such, ifn it takes so long every day."

"It will take at least two weeks to get there."

"Ya, that's what I bin thinking."

"We can't go any faster. These horses have to be delivered in good condition." Joe was worried that Hoss and Adam wanted to increase their pace.

"No, little brother, what we'll need to do is wire the Army post and wire Pa that things are going to take a bit longer." Adam said it with a bit of an edge frustrated that Joe would immediately assume an antagonistic attitude.

Of course his response only aggravated Little Joe more. "Don't call me little. I'm every bit the man you are and more."

"You two cut it out. We got a lot of time on the road and I ain't gonna be listening to this bickering the whole time."

Pulling his hat down a bit lower in acknowledgement of the rebuke, Adam took a sip from his canteen and said nothing. Joe wasn't done yet though.

"You tell him to keep his nasty comments to himself then. I won't put up with any of them." Joe stalked away.

"I don't know why he's that way with you."

"I'm a disappointment to him. I'm not the man or the older brother he wants. It frustrates him. Hell, it frustrates me."

"It ain't been that long. What'd the doc say last time ya saw 'im?"

"Time, just let time take its course. The melancholia will lift, he says, and the other thing may go with it. He said a change of scenery could help. I thought perhaps this trip would help do it, but this won't help to do not if things go this way."

"The weather or Joe?"

With a laugh that held no humor, Adam let Hoss know he meant both. Then he got philosophical. "It is the unfairness that bothers me the most. God fashioned us in his image and gave us this great gift to love and to be loved. It is both our glory and our tragedy. What happens when you can give love but cannot share it and desire love but cannot have it?"

"Ya got a lot of years left. Things changed a lot in the last two years. They could all change again."

"But what if they get worse instead of better?" With that, Adam walked away to do what he had to do before they could get going again.

Finishing his lunch, which now had the appeal of sand, Hoss washed it down with water and then packed things away getting his string of horses ready to move again too. He shook his head as they moved out seeing Joe with his stiff back obviously still a bit angry, and Adam riding with his shoulders a bit slumped and leaning to one side as he was prone to do when he was feeling down which was almost daily. Then there was Hoss himself sitting tense in the saddle worried about both of them as well as getting the horses delivered in a timely way without his brothers getting into a dustup that could have lasting consequences. He guessed that at some point, he would have to get Joe to back off somehow but wasn't sure how to do it. He spent the afternoon thinking about it until he decided he had a plan. It needed some work on the fine points but he knew both would be wary around each other that evening so he had time yet to finalize it. He would find a way to let a little of the inside information he had out to Joe without letting the main reason for it slip. He knew it would be extremely difficult for him because Joe was like a ferret if there was something he thought he didn't know and Hoss knew. Hoss was going to have to be very careful in how he presented the story to his little brother. Those thoughts dominated his mind that night and made it difficult for him to sleep for quite a while.

It was a good thing that Hoss was awake. Exhausted, Adam had fallen asleep much more quickly than usual, and Joe usually fell asleep that way. Hoss heard them and moved swiftly to Adam's side and then Joe's. They had a cold camp putting out the fire after they cooked their dinner because it was warm enough they had no need for a fire. In the darkness, Adam told Hoss and Joe to stay together.

"If it's Paiute, I'll find out and talk to them. If it isn't, we may be in a lot of trouble. In my black, I hope they won't see me first."

Adam slipped off his boots and moved silently away from his brothers. Hoss and Joe gathered their saddlebags with their extra ammunition as well as their rifles and got in a defensive position. They waited nearly an hour before they heard Adam call out.

"It's all right. You can come out now."

Hoss and Joe stepped from behind the boulders they had been using as a shield to see Adam walking toward them with three Native Americans in nondescript clothing. They looked like they might be Paiute but not like any they had seen before.

"They're hungry. I said we would feed them and they can travel with us. Tomorrow we'll be close enough to town to ride in and buy some supplies for them."

Joe was angry. "But they were going to steal our horses!"

"Yes, they were going to steal at least one, and they were going to eat it. When I first found them, I listened and they were deciding which was the worst of the horses. They couldn't decide because they were all fine animals and they hated the thought of killing any of them, but they and their families are starving."

"Families?" Hoss and Joe almost said that as a chorus.

"Yes, they got run off their land, and they've been wandering for quite a while hiding out. They picked up a few others from some other tribes who were also lost and without a home. Their families are up in those hills. We'll buy some supplies for them, and they'll go back and feed their families for a time."

"Then what?"

"Hoss, I don't know. I'm not an Indian agent. It's a mess."

"Why are we buying supplies for them anyway?" Joe was curious more than upset.

"Because they were ready to kill us if we fought back when they tried to steal horses and this is the compromise that brings peace between us, and because it's the right thing to do. They recognized my name. At least the good we've done over the years has made enough of an impact that our name is a trusted one."

The six Paiute shared their breakfast with them and then rode with them. There was a small town up ahead and Adam halted the group several miles from town so no one in town would know what they were doing. He asked Hoss and Joe if they would like to take charge of getting the supplies that would be needed and they agreed to do so. They unpacked their packhorse and left with it returning five hours later with it laden down with supplies. Adam had to smile as he saw Joe excited to hand over the supplies to the Paiute and even showed them some ribbons and candy he had included that they could give to the women and children. The men divided up the supplies and then acknowledged the deal was done, two of them handed over leather wrapped bundles to Hoss and Joe, and they left. Hoss opened his bundle to find a large leather pouch decorated with a sun design made from porcupine quills, and Joe opened his bundle to find a necklace with a shiny quartz stone in an intricate basket woven of leather and tied to leather strips.

"Why did they give us gifts?"

"Joe, it's their way. They never accept anything without giving something in return. We're even now in their minds. Otherwise they would owe us, and that would make us powerful over them. They couldn't allow that."

"So they could steal from us again?"

"No, now we're friends. They wouldn't do that to us."

"I don't understand."

"It's a different way of looking at things. There are a lot of different ways of looking at things in the world. What we think we see isn't always what the other sees at all."

"Now you're just as confusing as they are."

"That may be true, Joe. Sometimes I don't understand myself either. Now let's get going. We need to go around that little town so they don't ask too many questions. I don't think they would like knowing what we just did."

"Yeah, Joe and me got the extra supplies for us too. As soon as we get our packhorse ready again, we can go."

Having such a shared adventure and perhaps hearing Adam speak so openly made the rest of the trip go better. There were still a few comments made by Joe that could have caused trouble had he followed them up with any more, but each time, he knew he had overstepped and backed off. Hoss told him he appreciated that, and Adam wisely didn't react to any of the comments. By the time they reached the Army post, they were in a good mood and ready to turn over the horses and begin the ride home. The post commander assumed that Adam had gotten the horses ready for them and thanked him.

"No, Colonel Haskell, I hurt my back about a year ago. My younger brother Joe took over that part of our operations. I only helped deliver the horses to you. I can assure you though that they are among the best the Ponderosa has ever delivered."

"I'll take you at your word. I know that's good." Turning to Joe, the officer put out his hand. "Please to meet you, young man."

"Pleased to meet you too, Colonel."

Hoss and Adam cringed a little at that. Joe didn't know why, but Hoss quickly offered his own greeting. "Good to see you again, Colonel Haskell. It's a fine operation ya got here, sir."

Ignoring Joe, the colonel turned his attention to Hoss. "Yes, I believe in organization and efficiency. We've got some renegades to round up and these horses are going to make that job a bit easier."

"Renegades, sir?" Adam had a sinking feeling that he knew who they were.

"Yes, some of the settlers had a problem with some, and they ran off into the hills. We can't have them roaming about loose like that. If they headed south, then they're not my problem any more. If they're still in those hills, I'll have to round them up and move them to a reservation."

Seeing Joe about to say something, Hoss put a hand on his arm and squeezed, hard. Joe looked at Hoss but said nothing. Adam thanked the colonel for the receipt for the horses that they could take inside to get their payment. The colonel asked if they were heading home next, and warned them about Ruby when Adam told them what he thought they might do. The colonel said some stories had been trickling back about men being found unconscious and stripped of their valuables in that town. With the money they were carrying, they could be likely targets in such a place. Once out of earshot, Joe asked why they didn't say something about the Paiute and that Adam had only mentioned possibly stopping in Ruby after some hunting in the mountains.

"Because we'd be sendin' the Army right inta that camp, and sum a them women and children likely could be hurt or even killed." Looking at Adam, Hoss guessed what they were going to do. "We gonna go tell 'em to head south?"

"With a packhorse loaded with supplies, that would be about right, don't you think?"

"What about me? Don't I get a say?" When Hoss and Adam looked at him, Joe grinned. "Let's go get some money and get this show on the road."

The camaraderie among the brothers lasted. They got the money, got the supplies, and headed into the hills. It didn't take long to locate the band who saw them coming and recognized them. The news they brought was unwelcome but not unexpected. They left the supplies and left them to make their decision as to what to do. Joe expected them to leave, but was surprised to find that Adam and Hoss weren't sure they would go.

"It's their land, Joe."

"Then why did Adam want us to bring these supplies to them and tell them what the Army was likely going to do?"

"It was only fair to give them the chance to run ifn they was a mind to. Ifn they want ta stay, that's their choice too. Everybody's got choices to make in this life, and then has ta live with 'em. They know that. They'll talk on it some amongst themselves and then decide. Life is darn hard further south. They know that too."

"What are we going to do?"

"Adam has a hankering for sleeping in a soft bed for a couple of days. Cain't say as I would mind neither. We're thinkin' on heading to Ruby for a couple of days then heading home."

"No hunting trip?"

"Nah, I ain't really in the mood for one no more."

"I guess I really don't want to any more either."

In agreement, the three headed to Ruby, got a room, and headed to the saloon after cleaning up and putting on clean clothes. Sitting at their table after a meal and a beer, Joe saw a poker table with only three playing. He thought he would go join in. Before leaving, he pulled the thick wallet with the money from the horse sale from his jacket and handed it over to Adam who made a show of putting it in his pocket. That had been too public a transfer however so Adam surreptitiously handed the money to Hoss under the table.

"You would think Joe would remember how much trouble we've had doing things like that."

"Ya, but one beer and the temptation of that poker game, and common sense flew right out that there window."

With Joe intent on his poker, Hoss enjoyed his beer as Adam nursed one. There were several dark-haired saloon girls who were happy to keep serving Hoss until there were a half-dozen empty glasses on their table. One dark-haired saloon girl came over then to collect the empties and ask if they wanted more.

"Shur nuff. Bring two more."

"I'll do that, sugar. Be right back."

She talked to Hoss but gave all her attention to Adam. Hoss noticed and teased his older brother about it. Adam said little but did admire the physical attributes of the woman. Joe had eyed her up earlier too, but he was too busy in his gambling to follow up on attraction to her. There were others who were interested in her too, but she had a way of putting them off that was direct but funny enough that no one was likely to follow it up with any more overtures.

"Honey, if it was a three dog night, you surely could come home with me, but I already got two dogs to keep me warm tonight."

That line got the other men laughing and ribbing the one who had propositioned her until all thoughts of following up that offer were forgotten.

About ten, she walked over and rather brazenly declared that her shift was over and she wouldn't mind if Adam walked her home. Hoss grinned and kicked Adam's foot under the table. Adam shrugged and said he wouldn't mind doing that. The two left together arm-in-arm to the envy of a number of men in the saloon.

Chapter 3

"My name's Gloria."

"My name is Adam. Is your name really Gloria?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"My experience is that a lot of women who work in saloons or the theater adopt names that are what they consider prettier than the names their parents thought appropriate."

Laughing lightly, she didn't answer that. Adam and Gloria had only walked a short distance from the saloon when they neared an alley. She pressed herself against him then and asked if he found her desirable. He did of course so when she made it clear that she wanted to kiss, he obliged her and didn't mind stepping into the alley a bit to let the shadows hide what they were doing from any prying eyes. He didn't hear the two men behind him until it was too late. Iron hard hands gripped his arms as a cloth laden with chemicals pressed against his mouth and nose. He struggled but to no avail as the saloon girl ran away. Two men told him not to struggle too much or he might find a knife cutting his throat. He felt the blade there. The next thing he knew though, he heard Hoss' voice and then Joe's almost as if it was through a fog. There was another voice or two there but he wished they would all shut up as his head was pounding. One of them must have noticed he was regaining consciousness and told the others to be quiet. That voice began to talk very softly to him.

"You've been unconscious because of chloroform. They used a lot and could have killed you. Now I suppose you have a headache and I have a basin right here if you feel sick."

Those words and that feeling came at about the same time. The man must have realized it and asked for help in getting Adam on his side. He retched into the basin several times and then lay there with his eyes closed. He heard them asking if he was awake but he didn't feel like answering. He heard that more gentle voice say about as much to them.

"Let's let him rest for a bit. He's all right, but he's exhausted. You can stay with your brother, but let him rest."

Adam must have fallen asleep then because the next thing he knew, light was stabbing his eyes as noise assaulted his ears. He opened his eyes to find sunlight pouring in the windows and Hoss snoring in a chair at his side. Joe was in another chair leaning against a table asleep too. If he had been more comfortable, he might have left them sleep, but he had needs that were urgent and he needed to move. He called Hoss' name softly and then more loudly until his brother was startled awake. Hoss smiled at Adam.

"Good to see you awake. Ya had me worried last night."

"Can you help me off this table. I gotta go."

"Oh, yeah, I bet you do."

Adam had thought that all he needed was help to get down from the table where he lay, but found his legs were rubbery and the room seemed to revolve around him as he stood. He grabbed onto Hoss trying to steady himself.

"Whoa, now, hang on there. I'll get you outside right quick. Ya look like you're gonna need that."

Joe was waking up then and saw that Hoss needed help. He grabbed Adam on the other side and the two of them got him outside before he retched again. Then they walked him to the necessary so he could take care of other business before walking him back to the doctor's office where Adam simply asked to sit in a chair on the porch there.

"It'll probably make things simpler."

Hoss agreed. Joe cleaned up the mess Adam had made earlier as Hoss went to tell the doctor that his patient was awake and on the porch. After a quick exam, the doctor told him there would be no long term effects, but that he would probably want to drink a lot of water and not eat much for the rest of the day. The sheriff came by later to ask what he was missing. His wallet was gone, but he hadn't had much money in it. Joe's eyes got bit then and he asked about the money from the sale of the horses.

"I gave it to Hoss."

Hoss patted his pocket to let Joe know it was safe as Adam dropped his head into his hands. He asked from that position if the sheriff had talked to the saloon girl about her part in the robbery. He had and she claimed she had run away frightened about the assault. Adam doubted that very much, but there was nothing to prove she was lying. The sheriff said she had come back later to report that he was unconscious in the alley.

"Wasn't that Christian of her to do instead of letting me lay there all night."

"She didn't seem none too broke up about it neither."

The sheriff was defensive. "These saloon girls see a lot. They get a bit hard on the outside. No need to think anything bad about her because she wasn't crying."

"I wasn't only that, Sheriff." Joe was also upset. "She seemed almost angry about something instead of being upset that our brother was hurt."

"Probably upset her friends didn't find the money on Adam."

"Now, that's enough bad-mouthing one of our own just because some men come into town to do wrong. You ain't lost nothing. You can be on your way then anytime." The sheriff left then obviously upset with the nature of the conversation.

The doctor watched him leave. "I think he's sweet on her, and she's been leading him on."

"Why do you think she's bin leadin' him on?" Hoss asked the most obvious question first.

"Never seems to be more than teasing going on between them, and last night, who asked for that walk in the moonlight?" With that, the doctor walked back inside. It was clear that he knew what the answer was before he asked the question.

Even in his state, Adam had a fair idea where the doctor meant to lead them. "The doctor thinks she's in on it too. She's leading the sheriff on so he doesn't dig too deep into her background or activities."

Joe looked excited. "But we will, right?"

"I will. If I find anything, you can help find more. All right?"

Joe looked disappointed. "Then what are we going to do?"

"Watch my back. I have a feeling I may need that most of all."

For the next hour, Adam rested and told his brothers what he intended to do when he felt better. They suggested waiting until he had a meal in him thinking he probably needed the strength. He agreed that made sense. He waited for them while they went to have breakfast not willing to try eating anything quite yet. Then he spent the morning sitting on the porch sipping water and relaxing. At noon, he thought he could probably eat so they went to a restaurant where he was able to eat a light meal. After that, they got directions to the saloon girl's house on the pretense that Adam wanted to see how she was doing explaining that she had reported his attack to the authorities so he wanted to thank her. Before he went to her home though, he had a few conversations with her neighbors who were willing to talk especially for a few dollars in most cases. By the time he knocked on her door, he had enough information to try to pry the truth from her. She looked wary when she saw him.

"I would have thought you would be gone by now."

"Most of your victims leave town so quickly?"

She moved to close the door on him then, but he was too quick and pushed it open and stepped inside. Backing up, she reached in the pocket of her dress, but again he was too quick and grabbed her wrist wrestling a small pistol from her grasp. He emptied the five shells on the floor and tossed the pistol in the corner of the small parlor.

"Now, why don't you tell me who the two men are who are working with you. Your neighbors have seen two men here frequently and coincidentally yesterday before you went to work. Once I brought it to their attention, they seem to recall that they seem to be here about the time men get attacked and robbed here in Ruby and that all started to happen about the time you arrived."

"You can't prove any of it."

"That helped convince me right there. You didn't deny it."

"Get out. Get out right now. Get out!"

"I'll be back with the sheriff. I think your little game with him won't be working much longer. I want my wallet. It didn't have that much in it, but it is the principle of the thing."

"I said get out!"

Having heard her yelling, Hoss and Joe were waiting right outside the door. Adam stepped outside and she came to the door to yell at all three of them as the neighbors watched. Adam turned back once to remind her he wanted his wallet back. Then the three brothers headed to the sheriff's office to lay out the whole logical argument that she was part of the group attacking and robbing men in his town. They guessed it might take some time, but she wasn't going to get very far so they weren't worried. It did take well over an hour before the sheriff reluctantly agreed to walk back with them but said he had some work to do first delivering some legal papers and said he would meet them at his office in an hour. It had been and over three hours since they had left her house before they entered it again. It looked a lot different than when Adam had backed through that doorway. The sheriff stopped at the doorway and Adam looked over his shoulder stopping too. Hoss and Joe asked what was wrong. It took a moment before Adam turned to them. They could see the shock in his expression and hear it in his voice.

"She's dead, and she didn't die easily."

As the sheriff stepped into the home, Adam and his brothers followed. She was battered especially her face which was demolished. Her throat gaped open and she lay still in the middle of her small parlor. The bullets from her pistol were still on the floor and the pistol laid where Adam had tossed it. Whoever had come in had not been someone she feared or perhaps she thought it was Adam returning. Either way, she had not rearmed herself and had no means of protection against whoever had wanted to do her harm. Joe brought out a blanket from her bedroom, and the sheriff covered the body. He looked at Adam as if to accuse, but Adam quickly reminded him that the neighbors had heard her yelling at him to leave and saw him and his brothers leave as she stood in that doorway yelling at him.

"I'm thinking somebody didn't like you being here then. I'm still a mind to believe what you said. If it's true, we ought to find some evidence here in this house."

The sheriff moved then to her small kitchen and began looking in the cupboards there. It didn't take long to find a small bottle of chloroform and a small stack of cotton cloths. In the small wardrobe in her bedroom, they found Adam's wallet and several others. All were empty. There was no money of any amount in her house which was surprising.

"We talked on occasion. She mentioned how much money she got every night. I know she put a lot in the bank, but she shopped a lot too for dresses and such. She always had money on her. Somebody took it."

"I'm sorry, Sheriff. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't mean for her to be killed. I only wanted my wallet back."

"Not your fault. Gloria got herself mixed up in something she shouldn't have. Too bad too. She had a real good thing going at that saloon. She was the best gal there. Made lots of money."

"Looks like they beat her to find out where it all was then, don't it." Hoss was about ready to retch thinking about what had been done to the woman.

"If she told them where the money was, why did they do that?" Joe couldn't get over the horror of her throat being sliced open.

Adam spoke almost in a monotone. "They didn't want her to identify them." Turning to the sheriff, Adam had a question for him. "What will you do now?"

"I'm going to find out as much as I can about the two men been visiting her house and see if they're still in town. They're probably long gone, but I'll get wanted posters out on them soon as I can. What are you three gonna do?"

Looking from Hoss to Joe, Adam could only shrug. "I guess we're going home."

Chapter 4

There was snow capping the mountains and the morning sun reflected off the mountaintops creating a rainbow effect against the sky. With the green of the trees below promising abundant life, the scene would have inspired a preacher to expound on Genesis. However, the thoughts of three brothers as they rode home were more on the hell they hoped two men would soon experience for the evil they had wrought in Ruby. Fully recovered from the assault upon him, Adam suffered from guilt over the role he believed he had played in Gloria's death because he had disarmed her. He had trouble sleeping as did his brothers who couldn't get the image of the battered woman especially her horribly damaged face from their thoughts and from their dreams.

When they arrived home, Ben expected to see three relaxed and jovial men but instead found them morose and looking exhausted. Of course, he began questioning them immediately. Short-tempered, Adam responded with a quick summary of what had happened shocking his father with the blunt nature of what he said and the graphic description of the young woman's death. Joe didn't like the way he did it.

"It's bad enough we have to have that picture in our heads. You didn't have to paint it so clearly for Pa."

"He asked why we were the way we were. I told him. It's the truth."

"Aw, c'mon, Adam, there's ways of tellin' the truth ain't so harsh as what ya done. I agree with Joe on this one. No need to be so hard on Pa. He didn't do nuthin' wrong here."

"And I did. Is that what you're saying?"

"Nah, I ain't saying that. You're twisting things all around. You been letting everything stew around inside ya ever since we left. Ya ain't talked but ten words I think since we left there 'til we got back here and then you spew it all out at Pa. Mebbe ya oughta forgive yourself too. Weren't yer fault no more than it was ours."

"I was the one who disarmed her."

"She was the one got herself mixed up with them who done it."

Ben stepped forward. "Maybe a bath, good food, and some rest will help all of you recover and then you can talk about this more calmly. It seems you had a rough time of it. I'll get some men to take care of your horses. You three go on inside. Hop Sing will get food for you, and I'll be in shortly." With one hand on Adam's shoulder and another on Hoss', Ben looked to Joe with an expression that asked him to please help. Joe got the message.

"Yeah, we're all a little short-tempered, and for me, that doesn't take much. C'mon, I'll even let my two older brothers have the washroom first."

The peacemaking worked. None of them actually wanted to argue. They walked quietly to the house. Not much more was actually said about what happened in Ruby, and Ben assumed that the worst was over. It seemed to be as things got back into a routine for a couple of weeks. Things began to unravel when a story appeared in the Territorial Enterprise about a band of renegades captured by the Army in the Ruby Mountains. Apparently a number had been killed, the men were being sent in chains to a facility in Indian Territory, and the women and children were being sent to a reservation. Ben had read the story and not remarked on it because it was so similar to many stories he had read and expected he would read again. However when Adam read it, there was a distinctly stronger response.

"Damn! Damn the Army, and damn the whole damn system!"

With that, Adam had slammed the newspaper on the table by the fireplace and stalked from the house. Shocked, Ben picked up the paper to look at the stories and couldn't see why his son had reacted so strongly. He looked at Hoss and Joe.

"Pa, I guess we didn't tell you about one other little thing that happened. We were so much thinin' on what happened in Ruby, we plumb forgot to talk 'bout it at all. It didn't seem like such a big thing."

"What else happened?"

"Some Paiute was gonna steal some of our horses. I was awake and heard 'em. Adam went to talk to 'em, and we made a deal. We bought some supplies for 'em instead."

"You bought supplies for the men who were going to steal from you?"

"There were starving, Pa. Hoss forgot to say that. They were going to take the horses to eat so they could feed their people. We got them food instead."

"And these are the same ones the Army captured?"

"Yeah, 'cept the Army calls them renegades and attacked them. Pa, they wasn't dangerous. They only wanted to live. We warned 'em the Army was coming. Adam figured they might not head south as it's pretty tough living down that way."

"You warned them? You could have been charged?"

"Well, we were only trying to save lives, Pa."

"I suppose it was your older brother's idea."

"It ain't fair, Pa. We all wanted to do it."

"Hoss is right, Pa. We did."

"Well, what's done is done. I only hope they don't say anything about you three warning them. I don't want my sons arrested and charged with treason."

It was quiet the rest of the evening, and Adam hadn't come back in by the time the other three went to bed. He stood outside until he was sure he wouldn't have to face any of them and then quietly entered the house, locked the doors, and headed to his bed. Ben heard his footsteps in the hallway and then rolled over to sleep. He yearned to be able to throw an arm around his eldest son to tell him things would be better and that he loved him no matter what, but he doubted that Adam would appreciate such a gesture. Joe craved such attention, and Hoss appreciated it, but Adam was an enigma to his father. Many times, he didn't know how to approach him so didn't approach him at all. If only he knew that any approach would have been welcome. Adam felt very alone in the midst of his family held there mostly by Hoss, the one who did approach him and touch him even when he was snarling, churlish, or morose. Hoss was the one who knew that all of that was the armor he put up to try to prevent being hurt even more.

At breakfast the next morning, it was still quiet. The talk was fairly neutral in tone and it was clear that no one had slept well. For a couple of days, it continued that way as all four recovered emotionally until things returned again to the usual routine. On a Friday, Ben suggested they all go to town to get supplies, have dinner, and perhaps stay late to enjoy some of the social graces of the city mentioning that there was a troupe of singers that were supposed to be performing that night. That got Adam's attention so he agreed to go too. Ben thought it would be nice to ask Roy to have dinner with them so after giving a list of supplies they needed to the general store owner, he and Adam headed to Roy's office to extend the invitation. Roy had his head bent over a stack of wanted posters and was sorting through them looking to see if any of the men looked familiar. Ben extended the invitation as Adam watched Roy sort. Suddenly Adam's hand shot out to grasp a poster. He held it up and then dropped it on the stack.

"You recognize those men, Adam? If you do, I sure would like to know where they might be. I'd like to arrest them. Says they murdered a young woman. They're the worst sort killing a woman."

"I didn't see them, but I know the woman they murdered. She was the one who got me attacked in Ruby. Those are the two who killed her. That's the first I've ever seen of what they looked like. Apparently the sheriff did his job and got a good description. Unfortunately, a two hundred dollar reward isn't going to get anyone to go after them."

"No, I imagine a little town like that doesn't have the money, and a saloon gal wouldn't have relatives or friends willing to put up a larger amount."

"So what's the point?"

"It gets the poster circulated, and just like me, if any sheriff sees them, they'll get picked up, and for that amount, they'll get sent back to face trial. Then they'll hang."

"Roy, with those likenesses, all they need to do is grow beards and no one is likely to know them."

Shrugging, Roy had nothing more to say. Adam was correct. Lots of men committed crimes and never faced justice for them. Jurisdictions of sheriffs were too separated and unless there was a federal warrant, the marshals wouldn't pursue them. It was unlikely the two would ever be caught. The rest of the night passed without incident, but for Adam, it passed without him paying much attention to what was happening either. His mind was on other things. He had seen RoseMary briefly, but she had been curt with him. When he attended the musical performance, he understood why because she was escorted there by another man, the new clerk at the Bank of California branch bank in town. He was probably more to her liking and far less moody. It still felt like a loss though because he had liked her. He reminded himself that there had been no future for them but found little comfort in the thought. Unfortunately for him, his father saw the couple too and couldn't help needling his eldest son about another lost opportunity. It was the next afternoon, but it could have been any time.

"You should think more about your future. I saw RoseMary with another man last night. You could have spent your attentions on her instead of worrying about some renegades or a dead saloon girl."

"They were not renegades. They were people who wanted to live. That's all. As for the dead saloon girl, she might not have been dead except for me, so yes, I do feel responsible. Pardon me for having a conscience."

"Well you don't have to worry about it. There are wanted posters out. The law will handle it for you."

"It's only two hundred dollars for the two of them. No one is likely to chase them down for that amount."

"What? Why is that even an issue? Do you think you ought to do something about that?"

Hoss was listening and if he could have, he would have stopped his father long before he got to that point, but he knew he couldn't. He knew too what his father had done long before Ben did.

"Maybe I should."

There was a sudden change in Adam's demeanor that Ben didn't miss but he didn't understand it either. "Maybe you should. It might make you easier to live with." Ben intended that Adam should increase the reward money.

"Yes, I've been thinking about doing it, and your thought that I should too confirmed it."

"Good!"

"I'll leave tomorrow."

"What?" Shocked, it took Ben a moment longer to respond more. "That's not what I want you to do. I thought you would increase the reward money."

"No, talk with no action to back it up is worthless. If I'm going to do something, it's got to be something more meaningful than throwing money at it. I know how tall these men are. I've heard their voices. I talked to her neighbors who told me about them and the horses they rode. I've got the sketches now too that are on the wanted poster. I've got the best chance of anyone to bring these two men to justice."

"I didn't raise my son to be a bounty hunter."

"I'm not doing it for the money so I'm not."

"Then what are you? A vigilante?"

"You can call me any name you want, but I will do what I think is right, and this feels right. It seems I haven't done anything that feels right in over a year. I'm doing this."

There was that hard edge in Adam's voice at that point that said there was no dissuading him. Ben knew he shouldn't try at that point because it would only be an argument he could not win. He had about twelve hours and hoped to think of a way to stop Adam from leaving in that time, but he knew the odds were not in his favor. That night at dinner, Adam told Joe the news and got the predictable response. However Joe had plans in town and left before there was too much arguing. Adam excused himself to his room to get some rest and prepare for his quest as he called it. Ben sat quietly smoking his pipe for the rest of the night even though Hoss noted the pipe had no smoke and Ben never blew out any either.

Chapter 5

With only twelve hours, Ben never did find a way to talk Adam out of leaving and knew he had to let him go just as his family had let him go when he was determined to leave.

"Know, son, that this is your home whenever you want to come back. It will always be your home, and I hope you will come back."

"I don't know what I'll do, Pa, but thank you."

However, Joe wasn't ready to let him leave so easily.

"I can't believe you're leaving. You've got a woman who probably expects you to marry her and Pa was thinking you would finally settle down and have some grandchildren for him."

"She's got a funny way of showing that. She was with another man Friday night."

"Only to make you jealous enough to show some real emotion, to show you care."

"She'll do better with him than me then. I don't like being manipulated."

"Why can't you open yourself up to a woman and let her love you?"

"Seems like you could do that just fine instead of me. You certainly have a lot of women chasing after you. Let one catch you, and you can give Pa all the grandchildren he wants."

"It shouldn't be my place to do it. I'm only twenty-four. I still have lots of time. What's wrong with you? You're thirty-six and every time you get close to marrying a woman, you walk away for one reason or another. You could have fought for Laura but you let her and Peggy go with not even a whimper." Joe could see Adam's jaw muscles working and knew he was getting to him so he kept going. "Then there was that Ann you told us about. I know she was a saloon girl, but at this point, Pa wouldn't have cared. Any woman would have been better than none. What's wrong? She sent you a letter and you never answered her. Have you decided you don't like women?"

Mounting up on Sport was a tremendous effort by Adam because he was struggling against the desire to pummel his youngest brother. He couldn't and wouldn't, but he sorely wanted to shut him up. Hoss stepped in then knowing it had to stop when he saw that Adam wasn't going to answer Joe, which was likely to enrage the younger man and make him say worse than he already had because of his frustration. Hoss knew Joe didn't want Adam to leave but as usual didn't say what he meant.

"Joe, you don't know what you're saying, so you need to shut yer yap." Joe was looking like he was going to defy Hoss on that point, so Hoss held his arm even firmer causing Joe to yelp in pain. "I mean it." Then Hoss looked up at Adam who sat on Sport with a strange look that Joe couldn't interpret at all. "Tell him?"

"May as well but when I'm gone. Might settle some things for him and me."

"Pa?"

"No, I'm enough of a disappointment without that being added. There's enough on that plate already so leave it."

"All right, but you know Joe might slip up some time."

"If he does, then I guess that's what happens. He should know how important it is to me. If he wants to know it, he needs to carry it too."

"You ever need me, you let me know. I'll come help ya."

"I know. I'll be seeing you, here or there."

With that, Adam wheeled his horse and rode out not willing to look back afraid it might weaken his resolve to leave. He was torn enough about it, but weighted by his guilt, he had to go. Behind him, Hoss released Joe who rubbed his arm and stood defiantly waiting for Hoss to explain himself. Hoss walked into the stable not wanting to be overheard by anyone. When Joe followed him, he told him to close the door behind him. He lit a lantern then.

"I could have let the door open for light."

"What I'm gonna say to ya ain't for the light of day and anybody nosing about." Hoss took a seat on a crate.

Stabbed with a sudden fear, Joe sank down on the crate next to where Hoss sat. "Adam's not dying, is he?"

"No, he ain't dying. He's going out there to put himself in harm's way, and I pray he don't die while he's doing it. But he's a careful man and damn good with a gun so I figure he's got a good chance to do what he wants to do."

"Why does he have to go, Hoss? He could stay here. He'd get over it."

Hoss snorted softly. "That's what he said about that gal he's been seeing. He said she'd get over it. Said she would like all the others. Said she'd find somebody else. They all do."

"But why? Why doesn't Adam marry one of them? He could have had so many different women. I know things happened, but this past year, he seems to have given up on the idea completely. He doesn't even try any more."

"That's jist it. It's been this year that there's been a change."

"Laura? But he said he wasn't really in love with her, and besides, the way she cheated on him with Will, he ought to be glad they're both gone."

"Well, that ain't the problem, but when he said he didn't really love her, well that was cuz he didn't want to let on how much it hurt."

"I kinda figured that. But what's the problem then?"

"You know how he couldn't move his legs when he fell from that house."

"Yeah, that was scary. I thought he might be stuck in that wheelchair forever."

"You know how he doesn't help you break horses no more."

"Yeah, well I figured that was because of his back and not wanting to hurt it again so soon. Like when he begged off the cattle drive and Pa went instead. I figured even Pa knew his back wasn't as good as he said it was when he started making all those excuses why he couldn't go last spring. But he went this time when we had to deliver the horses."

"Yeah, he did, but you saw how careful he was. He wasn't out there cutting like we were used to seeing him do. He's good at riding straight out, but he don't want to strain that back too much yet. Doc told him it may always give him a bit of trouble, but if he's careful, over the next year, it should mostly keep getting stronger."

"So why are we talking about his back?"

"Well and his legs. They're part of it too. And other things."

Frowning, Joe looked at Hoss for a couple of minutes because Hoss wasn't going to say it unless he had to say it. Joe's eyes got wide.

"No! But I know he went to the Palace at least a couple of times."

"Every man needs the comfort of a woman's arms now and then. It sorta works some, and he can pay them to keep their mouth shut about what don't."

"He told you?"

Hoss shrugged. "He needed to see the doc some, and he needed somebody to cover for him so you and Pa wouldn't be asking questions."

Frowning again, Joe smiled. "So when you had those stomach problems?"

"Yeah, no problems except for that foul medicine I had to take so Pa would believe me when I said I had to go see the doc a couple more times. Adam was, of course, nice enough to go with me."

"That's why he did some of those dirty jobs for you."

"Yep, that was the silver lining, as they say. Our older brother always pays his debts."

"It'll never get better?"

"Doc said maybe especially if he can stop worrying about it and relax. Can't see as how that's gonna happen. Know how I'd feel ifn it was me."

"Damn, I wish I hadn't said those things."

"He knows that. Remember what he said when he told me I could tell you? He knew you would understand better what's happening. He needs to get away. Pa's putting pressure on him and so were you. People in town are talking. It was too much especially with the guilt he's carrying over that gal dying the way she did. He felt bad about what happened to them Paiute. Nothin' he could do about that though."

"Hoss, I don't know why he feels so guilty about her dying."

"He went to see her. She pulled a gun on him, and he took it away. He was mad and he emptied the shells on the floor and tossed the gun across the room. They argued and he left."

"I know that. I was there with you."

"He figures she musta not thought anything when she heard somebody coming in the door probably thinking he was coming back only it wasn't him. When he came back with the sheriff and they found her, those shells were on the floor yet. She hadn't been able to defend herself because he had taken her gun away."

"But it was her fault for not picking it up and reloading it when he left. Besides she's the one who led him out there to be attacked and then stole his wallet. She probably did that to other men too, and maybe the men who worked with her came back at her to do more than bring the sheriff. Somebody took her money. It could have been that."

"Yeah, I know, but try to tell our older brother that. You know how he is."

"I didn't want him to go."

"I know. I think he knew it too."

"You think he'll come back?"

"When he's ready ifn he's ever ready."

As Adam rode away, he had some of those same thoughts. He felt sadness about leaving, but felt guilt too about how free he felt and the joy in his heart to be breaking free of the ranch that had held him captive in its gilded cage. He had told his father and Hoss that he would come back when he was ready but truly didn't know if that would ever happen. There were things he needed to do before he began his quest so he planned to spend the night in town and meet with several people the next day. He wanted to travel to Ruby first, but he had to make arrangements for someone to handle his investments and to make sure that he had access to cash as he needed it. He wanted to talk to Roy too and see what advice he could glean from him as to how he might proceed when on the trail of two fugitives in such a situation. He knew Roy wouldn't approve at all so that would be the first obstacle to overcome, but once Roy knew he was determined to do this, he would want to give him every advantage.

The meeting at the bank went well and he had all the documents he needed within a couple of hours. His meeting with Roy proceeded about as he expected though with Roy spending even more time than he had thought trying to convince him not to go.

"You're a durn fool trying to do this. How you going to find two men you never even laid your eyes on in the middle of millions of square miles of mostly nothing?"

"Marshals and bounty hunters do it all the time. Do you think I'm that much more inept than they are?"

"They make a career of doing it. Is that what you want to do?"

"I'm not sure what I want to do except to find these two and bring them in."

"Alive?"

"If at all possible."

"All right, then, this is what I'd do. First, you go back to Ruby and you talk to people who saw these men and get any information you can. Talk to the sheriff and see what impression he might have gotten about where he thought they might go. I'll send out some wires for you asking if anyone has heard of such a thing being tried anywhere else. You contact me before you leave Ruby to find out if I've heard anything. You keep in touch with me and I'll do my best to help you."

"And tell my father where I am and what I'm doing?"

Roy shrugged. Adam had caught him out, but he had expected that. "I will help you as much as I can."

"I know that, but if you're going to be telling tales to my father, I won't be able to ask for any help from you."

"How about I won't tell him unless you tell me I can other than to say I heard from you and you're doing all right?"

"That I can accept. I could use that copy of the wanted poster you have too."

With the wanted posters in hand, Adam returned to his room and drew several smaller versions of the two men separately on small cards. He put those in his pocket and folded the wanted poster and put it with the other papers he had. Roy had given him a letter of introduction to use if he met with any lawmen along the way. He made sure that was well protected in his oiled leather pouch. Then he lay down to get some sleep ready to head out the next morning.

Chapter 6

Trail drives of six weeks or more could make a man mighty saddle sore. Hoss liked to say he wanted to sit in a tub of warm mud for a week and let the soreness ooze out of him. That image had never appealed to Adam who much preferred a warm soapy bath and a clean rinse, but after three months in the saddle looking for the two fugitives, the mud bath was looking better and better. Now he had to shake his head in disbelief at what he had done only a few minutes earlier because he had signed on to a cattle drive that would take probably six weeks of hard riding through some of the most inhospitable land in the country. The trail boss had looked on him with some suspicion but needing hands desperately, he had taken him at his word. Adam knew he wouldn't disappoint the man because he probably could ride and herd as well as any he had or nearly so. The two men he wanted to check out had signed on ahead of him. The only way to get close to them and keep tabs on them was to sign on to the same drive so he had had little choice. He had sent a telegram to his family letting them know he had arrived safely in Texas. He took a room at the hotel, got a good bath and one night's sleep in a soft bed, two good hot meals, and then he was heading out to where the herd was being rounded up and organized for the drive north to Kansas. He didn't shave his beard for it helped disguise him quite well. After losing his hat in a windstorm months earlier and realizing that was probably a good thing because he thought his quarry might recognize that distinctive band on it, he now wore a more functional dark gray hat now with a taller crown and a wider brim. He had gotten rid of the cream colored coat too and wore a dark gray coat when he needed one. Both allowed him to blend into the environment when he needed to do that. His father and brothers might not recognize him at first unless they heard his voice or saw him mount up on his horse and ride. Those things were too distinctive to change. However, the men he chased didn't know those things about him so he felt comfortable getting close to them without worry.

Three months had seemed a long time when he first started out after the two men, but when he realized what a difficult task he had set, he realized that three months was actually a fast pace for getting this close to them. He had been advised not only by Roy but by others that he might spend up to a year before he found them if he did at all. The two didn't seem too worried about pursuit though and had kept using the same names they used in Ruby. That had helped the most. Of course Smith and Jones weren't very inspired choices for last names but he guessed the first names actually belonged to them. It was unlikely anyone would have picked Stan and Gordy as aliases. Those were the kinds of names parents bestowed on infants who had no choice in the matter.

There was some relief for Adam in that his work the first few days convinced the trail boss and ramrod that he could ride flank so he avoided the dreaded drag duty altogether. He got nighthawk duty on a rotation with the other men who seemed a bit standoffish with him. With no inkling as to why that was, Adam stayed quiet and tried not to step on any toes. He did his work, didn't complain, and cooperated as much as any new hand would be expected to help out. Stan and Gordy, who seemed not to have much in the way of intelligence or talent at all, were welcomed more than he was. He wondered about that until the ramrod pulled him aside for a conversation about a week into the drive.

"Some of the men are worried about you."

"I don't know that I've done anything to worry anyone."

"It's not what you've done."

"It's being here?"

"Yeah, the way you carry yourself, the pistol rig, the horse you have, well, it don't fit with a man needing to sign on with a cattle drive. Some of these men got reason to worry. I mean to take all my regular hands back to the ranch with me. I wouldn't expect anyone to try to interfere with that."

"I'm not any threat to you or your regular hands. I won't make any trouble on the drive either."

"You talk straight out. I like that. All right. I'm thinking I can trust ya. Here's my hand on it."

"My word isn't good enough?"

"It is for me, but the hands over there are watching. They see us shake, and you ain't likely to have an unfortunate accident one of these days."

"Thank you. I'll give you a day's work for a day's pay like I said I would until the drive's done."

"I get the feeling one or two of the drifters I signed on might have reason to worry once the drive's over."

"Maybe. I don't know yet, and I won't do anything until I'm sure."

"You a bounty hunter?"

"No, I'm not a bounty hunter, and I'm not the law either if you're going to ask. It's personal, but I won't break the law either."

"You're a strange one, but I can respect that. All right, we don't need to talk about it any more. We're good. Say, you wouldn't know how to sing any songs would you? I heard you on the harmonica the other night."

To Stan and Gordy, it appeared that Adam had been recruited to sing and play the harmonica in the evenings when there wasn't any bad weather or any reason to keep things quiet. They had no idea what had actually transpired, but the other hands accepted Adam then knowing he was no threat to them. Once they reached the railhead and had all the cattle in the stockyards and counted, the trail boss got the bank drafts and headed into town. The hands waited for his return and talked casually about what they were going to do next. A couple of nights of celebrating seemed to be the consensus with that amount of money in their pockets. Watching Stan and Gordy, Adam saw them exchange a few looks and got a suspicion of what they might be planning next. When the trail boss returned with cash to pay the men, he and the ramrod had them line up. Most of the regular hands asked him to pay them about half their wages and hold the rest for their return. There was a lot of laughter about that because they all knew what they would do if they got it all. Then Stan and Gordy got paid their full amount. Last in line was Adam who was also paid the full amount. He waited as he watched Stan and Gordy follow the others to the saloons in town.

"No firearms are allowed in town, right?"

"That's right. You have to check them when you get to the sign."

"I think Stan and probably Gordy too carry some long knives. Held to a neck, they can be even more intimidating than a pistol and a lot more quiet."

Both men stared at Adam for a short time until the trail boss responded. "You think there's a chance they might try to dry gulch one of our men?"

"It's a real possibility. I tried to be sure it was them I'm after, but the beards make it too difficult, and I only heard their voices briefly and once. I can't be sure."

The ramrod was more direct. "But you think if you catch them doing that, you'll know."

With a nod, Adam acknowledged that was his plan. "I'm going to talk to the sheriff."

"Let us know what he says. We'll be in the saloon. I'm not letting any one of them walk out alone unless I know somebody is out there to make sure he doesn't get his throat slit."

"I'll be seeing you." Adam left then and headed to the sheriff's office. He showed them the wanted poster and explained the whole situation. The sheriff wasn't too sure of him, but the letter from Roy helped as did a letter Adam had gotten from the district marshal whose territory included Ruby. He didn't like the idea of two men who had murdered a woman getting away either, and said he would come to get the fugitives if they were arrested anywhere.

"Sheriff, you'll get a two hundred dollar reward. I know it's not that much, but you don't have to do much either. Deputize me so I can carry this pistol and let me set it up. You wait in the alley out of sight. If it happens, you step forward to arrest the two."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"Probably no more than a couple of hours."

"All right. You go set it up, and in a couple of hours, we'll be in that alley by the saloon waiting. If nothing comes of it though, you turn in that badge tonight."

"Fair enough. I didn't really plan to be a lawman."

With a smile, Adam headed to the saloon and entered to find the drovers already well on their way to being very happy. A few noticed he was wearing his pistol and told him he was going to get in trouble. He pushed back his coat and showed them his badge.

"Nope, I already signed on here for a new job. I'm a deputy. I have to go make rounds now, and then I plan to go find a room and get some sleep. You boys have a good time and don't make too much noise, all right?"

After they wished him good luck, he wandered over to talk briefly to the trail boss and ramrod. "I'm all set. In a couple of hours, I'll be all relaxed and resting."

"If we don't see you again, good luck."

"Good luck to you too. Full moon tonight. Easy to see if you have to go outside to take care of business. That ought to help. No one's going to be stumbling around in the dark."

"Yeah, I saw there's an alley right next to the saloon here. That's real handy."

With that, Adam bid them good night and left. Both the ramrod and trail boss drank beer and had fun acting as if they didn't have a care in the world until they saw Stan and Gordy leave. Then they set it up. The ramrod thought he ought to be the one to go, but the trail boss said it should be him because they knew he was carrying the most money. He announced he had to take care of business then and walked somewhat unsteadily to the door and outside where he paused. It made him a bit nervous to take that walk, but he had said he would and planned to do it. It dawned on him then that he was trusting a complete stranger and for a moment, wondered if this could be an elaborate set-up by Adam. Of course, he did have that badge and was wearing his pistol. If he had wanted to rob him, he could have done it out by the stockyards. There was no need to set up this elaborate ruse. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the alley, turned in, and then turned to face the wall of the saloon to do his business. Suddenly Stan and Gordy were there with knives as hands grabbed his arms and a knife was placed at his throat. Another hand started searching him for his thick wallet when Adam's voice penetrated the darkness.

"Now this seems very familiar, boys. Why don't you drop those knives so I don't have to shoot you."

Stan and Gordy froze. Unsure what to do, Stan decided to be brazen. "We could kill him if you don't drop that pistol."

"Now that would be stupid of me, wouldn't it. I can kill both of you. Why would I let you get the drop on me over a man I hardly know."

The sheriff stepped out then. "You two are under arrest for attempted robbery."

"Let it go, Stan. We'll get some time locked up, but if we kill him, they'll hang us."

The two men dropped their knives and raised their hands. The sheriff put handcuffs on them and then looked at Adam.

"You going to tell them?"

"Oh, yeah, you two are wanted in Ruby for the murder of Gloria. You're going back there to hang."

"What? We didn't murder Gloria. We got out of town when we heard somebody did. She was the one in charge of everything. We don't know who went after her, but we figured we were next so we hightailed it out of there." Stan actually sounded sincere.

"Mister, we ain't so smart. We did what we were told and she paid us well to do it." Worse than that, Gordy made sense based on what Adam had learned about the two of them.

"You were ready to slit this man's throat for the money like hers was slit."

"Her throat was slit? Mister, our knives ain't sharp enough to slit a throat. We make sure of that. Hell, we don't want to kill nobody by accident. It's just to scare 'em. All we want is money."

The trail boss picked the two knives up out of the dirt and felt the edges. "He's right. These are so dull they'd have to saw somebody's neck to try to draw blood. They couldn't slit a throat with one."

The sheriff didn't care too much about any of that. "I'll lock them up and let the law handle it there." He put out his hand for the knives and the trail boss handed them to him. He left then. He had the two men, the wanted poster, and the two knives, which was all he needed to get his two hundred dollars. It was all he cared about doing.

The trail boss thanked Adam for making sure he and his men were not robbed by the two, and then he went back to the saloon. Adam walked to the sheriff's office to drop off the badge and check his pistol before going to the hotel. His sleep was delayed though as he thought about all that had happened. He had not questioned the guilt of the two men at all and had spent over seven months of his life now bringing them to justice. However, he wondered if it was justice. There was a good chance they were going to hang. He remembered the scene in Gloria's house and her battered face and slit throat. There had been remarkably little blood now that he thought about that. With all that battery, there should probably have been blood spattered around. With the throat slit from one side to the other and gaping open, there should have been blood pooled around her if she had been unconscious when it was done or all over if she had been conscious and desperate to save her life. Her hands and arms should have been covered in blood. So shocked by her violent end, he hadn't thought about that before Stan and Gordy had professed not only their innocence but that they were the ignorant stooges hired to do her work. Apparently she must have been dead or nearly so when her throat was cut and perhaps even when her face was battered. So the question was why would anyone do that to someone who was dead or dying. He sat up in bed and swore when he realized the answer. He had a much more important quest and one that might save two lives if he could do it fast enough.

Chapter 7

By the next morning, Adam had developed even more suspicions about what had happened in Ruby and sent out some telegrams while he made arrangements for travel. He wasn't going to take the time to ride so he had to make arrangements not only for himself but for Sport to go by rail and make all the connections. It would take a day or two longer that way, but it would still be much faster than riding overland. He guessed the marshal wouldn't be in a big hurry to come this far to collect Stan and Gordy so he had time, but he needed to be efficient. He asked that the answers to the telegrams be delivered to where he expected to be in a couple of days and made hotel reservations there. It worked out, and he got the answer he expected. It wasn't satisfying but gave him his destination. The sheriff had in fact moved on to another job. He was working in Stillwater and Redmonds. Adam was familiar with the area and guessed that in his present appearance, he would not likely be recognized if he didn't ride in on Sport. He could put him in a livery stable in Uniontown, and buy a mount more suitable and head to Stillwater like any cowboy drifting through. He guessed he could find out all he needed that way.

When he rode into the nondescript little town of Redmonds, he discovered that there wasn't much in the way of accommodations. He could sleep on a small cot in a large room over the saloon with a dozen other men doing the same or camp outside of town. He chose the camp because he had nothing of value to steal and would be more comfortable in that setting even though he didn't like sleeping on the ground. Once he set up a camp and cleaned up reasonably well, he headed back to the saloon to get a drink and a hot meal. Dressed as he was, he didn't attract much attention other than being the newest arrival and getting the usual evaluation on that basis of anyone first walking in the door. Looking rather ordinary in most ways, most turned their interest back to whatever had been their previous focus. One saloon girl served him and came back a few times to see if he wanted anything else. He had little to say and didn't seem interested in her company. That piqued her interest more than if he had been more forward which she had expected.

"You're not the usual kind who stops in here. What brings you here?"

Looking at the young woman, Adam decided she probably wasn't as young as he had first thought. She probably had more experience then than he had first thought too. "And what is the usual kind who stops in here?"

"Oh, the kind that wants all sorts of attention and the kind that talks a lot and doesn't turn around and ask a question instead of answering one. You're probably quite good at evading questions. You're not wanted, are you?"

"If I was, do you think I would tell you?"

"There you go again. Talking with you is like a chess match."

"You play chess?"

"If I answer that, will you at least answer one question I put to you?"

"Maybe. It depends on the question."

With an exasperated sigh that was softened by a smile, she leaned back in the chair she had taken. "I play chess when I can find someone who knows how. I'm not particularly good at it, but I do know how to play and find it far more challenging than checkers. My father taught me to play. Now, where have you been?"

"On a cattle drive."

She looked a bit skeptical, but she reached over and picked up his right hand turning it over and running her fingers up and down his palm and his fingers. "Hmm, you are a working man. I believe you, but I never would have guessed that. You have more the look of a lawman or a shootist."

"I can assure you that I am neither of those."

"Yet, you are well spoken, and though your clothing is plain, it is of good quality and in good repair. You take good care of yourself. You make me very curious." She noted too that his eyes roamed the room missing nothing. "You looking for someone in particular." That startled him apparently and pleased her. She liked him already and found him far more interesting than any man she had met in years even though she had only talked with him for minutes. She watched the mask come over his face noting how well he covered his emotions.

"Being observant keeps me from being surprised."

"I have a strong suspicion it's more than that, but for now, that'll do. Where you staying? Upstairs?"

"I made camp outside of town. I'll probably be moving on tomorrow."

"Me too. I work here and in Stillwater. The saloon over there pays better, but they needed help here so I came over for a bit until they hired more girls here. Now I'm going back to Stillwater. You wouldn't happen to be heading in that direction? I could use the company. I don't like traveling alone."

"I was planning to go that way. I wouldn't mind the company either."

"I get off early tonight because I'm leaving tomorrow. I have a small place they're letting me use. There's an extra cot there if you would like to use it. That's all I'm offering."

"You're a prophetess too among your other talents. Yes, I would appreciate the cot. I'll go pack up my things and be back soon if that's all right. My name is Adam.

"I'm Robin. I'm not joshing about that either and it's not a name I took because of my job. My sisters have bird names too. My father was a naturalist, and he and my mother thought it was cute."

Adam began to smile and it turned into a huge grin.

"What?"

"I'm thinking of the possibilities: crow, buzzard, and pigeon."

"They're Wren and Dove."

"Then there's snipes and grouse and bustards not forgetting of course cuckoos. And how could he have forgotten the goose?"

Frowning at first, Robin had to smile thinking of being named one of those. "I guess I should be happy he didn't name me for a coot or a rail."

Both were laughing then. As they got up to leave, they continued.

"You could have been a shrike."

"Or a nuthatch."

If they laughed much harder, they were going to have to hold each other up. The others in the saloon watched them leave, shook their heads, and went back to their beers. A short time later, Adam was back at Robin's place with his gear. He put his horse in the livery and then headed to her place to sleep grateful to be able to sleep indoors again. She seemed nervous when he returned.

"Robin, I am what I am. You can trust me. I won't harm you. Your first impressions of me were correct in that I would never hurt a woman nor do anything that she doesn't want done. You can rest easy."

Closing the door to her small bedroom then, Robin was torn actually wishing he had made some kind of move toward her. She wouldn't have minded a kiss from the dark man with the beard and the wonderful sense of humor and the kind eyes. Realizing she did feel safe with him, she put on a gown and pulled her robe around her before venturing out again surprising him.

"It's still early enough if you want to try chess with me. If you're any good, it probably won't take too long."

The match took far longer than Adam had suspected it would. Robin was an experienced player with a creative streak in her moves and he had not played in quite a while. When they finished, she congratulated him and stood as he stood. They were very close and stood silently for a moment until Adam leaned down and softly kissed her.

"You're quite a lady, Robin. Thank you for the match."

Only their lips touched, but Robin felt as if her body was on fire. It took all of her self-control to walk to her bedroom then and close the door. That didn't last. She opened it again and stepped out crossing to where Adam sat on the cot removing his boots. He looked surprised again.

"My bed is big enough for two."

"Robin, I can't."

"You have some scruples against sleeping with me?"

"No, I can't."

He said no more, but from the anguished look he had, Robin knew he had admitted a very painful truth to her.

"That's all right. You wouldn't be the first man who had that issue. We'll do what we can if you're willing."

Nothing more was said. In the darkness later, Adam apologized.

"There's nothing to apologize for. I enjoyed what we did. I think you did too. That's all that matters. Now we can sleep and in the morning, we'll head to Stillwater."

Falling asleep in her arms, Adam felt comfort he hadn't felt in so many years that he had forgotten what it felt like. Waking beside her and seeing her smile was even better. They packed their things then and headed to the livery stable. Robin had a small carriage there and Adam got his horse. With some provisions, they began the trek to Stillwater hoping to be there by late that night, but if necessary, they were prepared to spend a night camped out on the road. Travel conditions were not good and they did have to spend the night camping. The next day, they traveled again arriving in Stillwater late in the day. Both got rooms at the hotel attached to the saloon. Robin's room was the one she regularly used while working there, and Adam got one near hers. He was hoping that their intimate relationship would continue. He had found he needed it more than he had realized, and she seemed to enjoy his attentions. That night, they enjoyed more time together, and she slept in his arms in his room until morning.

When he walked into the saloon the next day though, all those thoughts vanished as he took on the mode of the hunter again. He saw a woman who looked a lot like Gloria although the hair color was different and he hadn't known her long so he couldn't be sure. He listened though and soon had his answer. She was propositioned by a miner and had a ready answer. The voice, the words, and the whole tone of it were etched in his mind from Ruby.

"Honey, if it was a three dog night, you surely could come home with me, but I already got two dogs to keep me warm tonight."

Passing by his table and noting where his attention was directed, Robin leaned down. "That's Philomena. It's her standard line. Always gets a laugh and no one takes offense."

"I've got a question for you now. Any robberies here lately?"

Frowning, Robin looked at him for a moment wondering again what he was doing. He had yet to trust her enough to tell her that. "One, maybe. A man about a week or so ago was found passed out in the alley outside. His wallet was gone. He said he had been carrying a lot of money, but he didn't have any left. He'd been in here drinking. No one knew if he was telling the truth or if he passed out drunk and only said he was robbed."

"Is there a mayor in this town?"

"Closest thing really is the man who owns this saloon, John Reynolds. He owns about everything that matters in this town. He hired the sheriff and he makes any decision that makes any difference around here."

"Where could I find him?"

"This time of day, he's either at the bank or in his office at the back of the store."

"Thank you. I'll be back." By that evening, Adam was back with a job working in the back room of the saloon. On occasion, he brought out barrels of beer or bottles of whisky. No one paid much attention to him after the first night as he was out of sight most of the time doing whatever it was the owner wanted him to do in the office and storeroom in the back. Mostly what he was doing was using the owner's peephole to watch what was happening in the saloon waiting for Philomena to pick her target. It took three nights for it to happen. Meanwhile, Robin plied him with questions trying to find out what was going on. He told her to simply do her job and that he was doing his. She knew there was more to it, but knew too he wasn't going to tell her. Meanwhile of course, they did have some very pleasant time together playing chess, talking, and sharing the bed in one of their rooms.

On the third night, Adam saw Philomena working on a man who was better dressed than most. When he saw two men head out of the saloon after making eye contact with her, he knew. He waited and then moved into position himself having set up crates in the alley to allow him to move around without being seen. He left by the saloon's back door and watched as the two men secreted themselves into dark spaces. Then they waited. Within a half hour, Philomena's laugh could be heard and then she and the man stepped into the alley. He was clearly anxious to have that kiss with her and not paying attention at all to any potential danger. The two men moved quickly and overwhelmed him with the chloroform as Philomena hurried away so as not to be caught. The two men were bent over the man when they heard the click of Adam's pistol. An hour later, they were tied up and gagged in the storeroom of the saloon, and the gentleman who was their unfortunate victim was resting in Adam's bed with Robin attending to him.

Soon, John Reynolds was there with Adam. He had to see the proof with his own eyes. He saw that man and then headed to the saloon to see the two men who had assaulted him. Adam took out his pistol and told the two to be quiet when he pulled down their gags. They were.

"Who hired you?"

They didn't want to answer, but Adam had an inducement for them.

"Mister Reynolds thinks we can charge you with attempted murder. Now if you cooperate, that could be attempted robbery. Twenty years in prison or one. That's your choice. Want to think again about answering that question?"

"The sheriff." Both men answered at once.

Looking at John Reynolds, Adam smirked. He had gotten it all right. "I'm sure by now, the sheriff is wondering what happened to the victim. Why don't we go take care of that?"

"I want a few more men before we do that. Let me get some men to take care of it. We'll take care of Philomena too. You go see that the other man is all right."

A bit uneasy about how John Reynolds said that, Adam had little choice in the matter. He had no authority in the town. When he got to his room, the man was awake but groggy. Robin was trying to explain to him what had happened. Adam filled him in on the rest of it.

"You knew what they were going to do to me, and you let them do it?"

"It was the only way to prove it."

"You're a jackass."

"I'm the jackass who saved your wallet."

"Don't expect a reward." With that, the man got out of the bed and made his way unsteadily to the door.

Putting out his hand for Robin, Adam said they ought to get back to the saloon. "I don't think the sheriff is likely to survive his encounter with John Reynolds if he decides to argue with him, and those two in the storeroom are likely to get shot trying to escape if I'm not there guarding them."

"You think Mister Reynolds would do that?"

"You didn't see his eyes. Men like that don't like being crossed. He may regret it tomorrow, but tonight, he's furious and that may make him do things he wouldn't otherwise do. The sheriff and Philomena were going to let two innocent, well nearly innocent, men hang, so I can't feel too sorry for them."

"You can save two men now?"

"I hope so. I'll send a wire and then go there as fast as I can to testify for them."

"When will you go?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"So we still have tonight."

That full dimpled grin was her answer. At some point, she hoped to see what else might be hidden under that beard. First though, he had things to do.

Once Adam was sure that Reynolds wouldn't kill the two men he had in custody, he was free to return to his room and wait for Robin. When she got there, he told her that the sheriff was dead, and that Philomena was gone.

"She ran away again?"

"She must be good at it and be ready to do it at a moment's notice. Yes, she's gone, and apparently so is your carriage."

"I wish you could go after her."

"I drew a number of pictures of her. Wanted posters will go out, and I'll make sure that the amount will interest bounty hunters and sheriffs alike. She won't get away unless she leaves the west altogether."

"Good, now there is our last night together." Robin began unbuttoning Adam's shirt and running her hands across his chest. She loved the feel of his muscles under those soft curly hairs and knew she would miss this the most. After letting her undress him, Adam returned the favor removing each of her articles of clothing and kissing her exposed skin as each piece was discarded until she wanted him as much as she had ever wanted a man. Later as they lay in each other's arms, Adam was smiling.

"That was amazing."

"I think that was supposed to be my line."

"I didn't think I could."

"The doctor said time and relaxing about it could do the trick. Apparently it worked."

"I've worked hard for the past months. I thought my back would hurt more, and at first, it did. But now it hurts less. I guess it got stronger with the work."

"I guess everything got stronger. You're all healed up." Pausing then to ask a hard question, Robin was afraid she knew the answer. "Adam, do you think you'll ever come back this way again?"

There was a long silence. "I don't know."

Chapter 8

When Adam arrived in Ruby, there was a telegram waiting for him. He had wired his family when he was leaving Stillwater and told them he was going to Ruby. He didn't tell them why, but assumed they would know it was to settle the case that had started him on this quest. The telegram had a surprise, but also a command that irritated him. His father told him to come home for Joe's wedding that was a week away. The wedding was a pleasant surprise, and he would do his best to be there, but it irritated to get such a message from his father. He sent a reply that anyone could read between the lines and hear that message. "Overjoyed. Congratulations. Will return when I can. Job almost done. May be on time." He would not be pushed into doing anything he wasn't ready to do.

His return to Ruby was timely as Stan and Gordy were sitting in the jail there expecting to be tried for murder and then sentenced to death. It likely wouldn't take long either as people weren't sympathetic at all when it came to a woman being killed especially the horrific way that woman had been killed. Because the sheriff had been killed in Stillwater, there was no way to know who the unfortunate woman was that the sheriff and Gloria had killed, but probably it had been one of the other saloon girls. With some questioning, some did remember they thought that one of the girls had left about that time. Now they realized she hadn't left but had been the one murdered in Gloria's place with her face battered and throat cut so that it would appear that she was Gloria. In one of Gloria's dresses and with the body in Gloria's home, no one had ever thought to question the identity of the victim until Adam met Stan and Gordy and heard their protestations of innocence. Eventually Philomena would be caught and perhaps she would have some answers. She would probably get prison time for her part in all of these crimes. Stan and Gordy were charged with robbery then, and got a promise of a light sentence when they pled guilty and agreed to sign statements admitting their guilt but also explaining everything that Gloria and the sheriff did. The whole mess was then cleared up legally, and the two were sent to prison to serve one year for their role.

It took several days to get all of that done, and then storms prevented Adam from traveling immediately. When he finally got on the road, he rode hard but knew he might not get home for the wedding. Even if he did, it was going to be close. Once he was on the Ponderosa, he guessed he would at least see his brother even if he missed the ceremony. As he rode to the ranch, he was stopped near the house by a hand.

"Sorry, mister, but there's a wedding today. Only guests allowed. They won't be hiring anybody today. You kin come on back on Monday."

"I know there's a wedding. I'm invited."

The man looked clearly skeptical, but Adam didn't look like the type of man to challenge so he let him through but signaled to the next man up the road. He thought that perhaps he might be trouble. The next man was the new foreman and he stopped Adam too.

"I guess you didn't believe the man back there, but there's a wedding here today, and only guests are allowed."

"When did we start turning people away from a wedding party?"

Candy was going to argue but caught himself in time having heard the 'we' in that sentence. "You better hurry on up. They were about ready to have the minister start things when I came out here to see if all the guests were here yet. I'll take care of your horse."

"Thank you. I'll do that."

With a tip of his hat, Adam headed toward the house. Upon entering, he saw that Joe was standing by the minister and ready to say his vows. He stood quietly in the back and listened as his youngest brother got married to a woman that Adam didn't recognize. He waited after the ceremony was completed and the guests were done congratulating the couple before he approached them and Hoss and their father who were standing with them.

"I wish Adam had been able to be here."

"I was. It was close, but I saw it all."

The shock on their faces was priceless. They recognized his voice but he didn't look much like the Adam who had left. His hair was longer and curled over his collar, he had a full beard, and wore a gray shirt. He seemed thinner too although they weren't sure about that. Hoss grabbed him in a hug first and then Joe did. Both had tears in their eyes. Ben wasn't sure what to do, but Adam resolved that by giving his father that rare hug. Though brief, it was warm.

"Dadburnit, it don't hardly look like you!"

"I never would have recognized you. In fact, I saw you standing there and didn't realize it was you. Just before we started, I looked around the room hoping to see you and didn't." Joe shook his head. "You always were good at surprises."

"You're not so bad yourself, Joe. Are you going to introduce your wife to me?"

"I'd prefer to do it after you shave, but we can do it now if you want. Doreen, this is my brother, Adam. He doesn't look like a saddle tramp usually but he just got back from a long trip."

"A successful quest, Joe. Justice was served. I'll tell you all about it after the party. Now how about some fun as soon as I get cleaned up and get some clean clothes?"

That brought smiles. It seemed the old Adam was back, and his actions at the party reinforced that as he sang with the band a bit and played guitar. He danced a bit too but not much after dancing with RoseMary who had married the clerk she had originally used to try to make Adam jealous.

"Oh, Adam, I made a mistake. I should have waited for you. Archibald is so terribly boring. He doesn't like to do anything. I cook, clean, and do what he wants and that's it."

"RoseMary, you shouldn't be saying that to me. You said marriage vows. Don't they mean anything to you?"

Adam had had a couple of similar conversations during dances and before he got into any trouble with husbands, he decided he wouldn't be doing any more dancing. Instead, he carried desserts out to the table for Hop Sing and got extra chairs when it was time for some to sit. He tried to be helpful until there seemed to be nothing left for him to do. He was offered a cup of punch to toast the bride and groom and accepted without looking to see who had offered it to him. After a few minutes, he felt dizzy and felt a hand on his arm guiding him away from the party toward a bench in the shadows. He sat heavily and then would have jumped up if he could. He shivered inside when he heard her voice.

"I guessed you would come home sooner rather than later after all the mischief you did. I really couldn't let you keep doing all that now could I? Once you're gone, I can get back to business. I will need new helpers, but they really aren't that hard to find. It's remarkably easy to kill someone once this drug takes effect. You can't fight back at all, and after all the drinking, no one will think it odd if you lean back in this bench and close your eyes. You'll bleed out before anyone knows you're even cut."

Adam felt the first prick of a knife in his side and the next thing he heard was Hoss' voice.

"Well, you finally gonna wake up? You had us all plumb worried sick that you come back only ta leave us permanent like." Hoss stood from the chair by Adam's bed and walked to the door of the bedroom. "Hey, Pa, Joe, everybody, he's awake."

Doctor Martin shooed everyone to the side and got to Adam first checking his eyes and his breathing. He smiled and pronounced that he thought there would be no ill effects. Adam grabbed his arm to disagree and asked for a basin and quickly. He retched into it and after wiping his mouth, dropped back against the pillows. In a weak voice, he asked what had happened.

"Son, we were hoping you could tell us. Hoss thought that the woman with you was acting suspiciously and walked over to you. He saw she had a knife in her hand and stopped her from stabbing you. You do have a small wound but it's minor. Hoss got the knife from her before she could do serious damage. Who is she and why did she want to kill you?"

"If you have my saddlebags, there's a wanted poster or two on her in them." Joe moved quickly to Adam's saddlebags and found those handing them to Roy who nodded when he saw them. They were a good likeness of the woman being guarded in the Ponderosa bunkhouse. "She's the one we thought was killed in Ruby. Instead, she and the sheriff killed someone else and made it look like her. They blamed it on the two men they hired to do the rough work for them. I caught them and realized they weren't smart enough to have carried out those robberies. I tracked down the sheriff but he resisted arrest in Stillwater. The authorities there killed him. She got away again. Then I went to Ruby so the other two wouldn't hang for a murder they didn't do. They're going to prison for robbery. I guess she didn't like me interfering with her plans."

Doctor Martin said he thought everyone ought to let Adam sleep then as the best medicine. Adam didn't disagree. After all he had been through and the hard riding to get to the wedding on time, he was exhausted. He smiled in acknowledgement of the doctor's prescription and thanked him. The others got the message and trooped out closing the door. Adam didn't wake up again until dawn the next morning. He looked at his shaving kit set out on his dresser, he assumed by his father, and instead simply trimmed the beard and washed his face. He headed to the dining table then to have some breakfast. He was hungry for Hop Sing's cooking. He got his fill of that for the next week as the family cook did his best to please the son who had returned and who praised his cooking at every opportunity. After a week, Joe and Doreen were back and the family was together for Sunday dinner. That week, Ben had refrained from questioning Adam feeling that he was a bit prickly about his father questioning him about anything. Joe however didn't feel that way at all.

"So, Adam, what are your plans? You going to stay?"

"I have a little trip I want to take, and then I don't know."

"If you don't stay, what would you do?"

"I don't know."

"You don't have a plan?"

"Nope, not yet. So, what are your plans?"

Neatly turning the conversation around to Joe and Doreen, Adam got them talking about their plans for a new house which he agreed to design. They talked too about having children, and with one on the way, which had precipitated the wedding occurring so fast, that wasn't going to be a problem. Ben seemed happiest about that part of their plan. Joe talked too about how well the horse selling was going, and he and Hoss talked about expanding the herd. It was only later that they realized that Adam had got them talking so he didn't have to talk. Hoss talked to Adam about that in the stable the next morning.

"That little trip you're gonna take have anything to do with why you don't know what you're gonna do next?"

"Some."

"That little trip got anything to do with a gal? Cause you get that look when you talk about that trip that makes me think you got a gal in mind."

"It does."

"Dadburnit, you gonna start doing some talkin' to me like I'm your brother or do I hafta knock you around a bit to loosen you up some?"

"All right, her name is Robin, and don't laugh. All right, maybe you can laugh, because I did, and I even got her to laugh about it. When I was with her, things worked out better than they have with anyone else."

"Ya mean?"

"Yes, things are better. In fact, things are good."

"Glad to hear that. I guess Doc was right after all."

"Guess he was."

"When you gonna go?"

"Soon, I think. Not sure how soon is too soon. I don't want to upset anyone around here already after only being back a week."

"You tell 'em it's a gal making you want to travel, and they'll understand perfect like."

"What if I tell them she's a saloon girl?"

"Dang, you do know how to make things difficult sometimes. But heck, even that should be all right. It's your life, and ifn she makes you happy, that's all that matters."

"Good, then maybe I'll leave, and you can tell Pa."

"Tell me what?"

Because Adam and Hoss had been gone so long, Hop Sing was getting upset that his hot breakfast wasn't going to be hot much longer. Ben had gone to tell his sons to hurry.

Hoss slapped Adam on the shoulder. "No time like now." He looked at his father. "I'll go get started on that breakfast. Hop Sing will be so busy serving me, he won't even notice ifn it takes you two a few more minutes ta get there."

Ben waited as Adam dropped his head and rubbed his neck, a sure sign that he had something important to say. "Pa, I'm going to take a short trip. I may be bringing someone back with me. If she's agreeable to spending her life with me, that is. I'm not sure she will be, but I need to ask her."

"Now that's good news, so why would you have preferred Hoss to tell me instead of you?"

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, Adam decided to tell him straight out. "She's a saloon girl and that's where I met her. We spent a lot of time together, and I doubt I was the first man she's been with. I don't care as long as she agrees that I'll be the last man she'll be with. That's all that matters as far as I'm concerned."

There were many things that Ben thought of to say, and if it had been Hoss or Joe, he probably would have said them or at least some of them. To Adam, there was only one thing to say. "As far as I'm concerned, what matters to you is what matters to me." Hoss had told him that if he had any chance of convincing Adam to remain on the Ponderosa, he had to change how he acted with him. He was trying.

"Thanks, Pa. Let's go get some breakfast. I'm hungry."

After breakfast, Adam left. Once it was decided, there was no reason to delay although a number of times as he traveled, he wondered if he was making the right decision. He finally thought that if he wasn't, he would turn around and go home. He didn't so it was the right decision. When he walked into the saloon in Stillwater, Robin stopped and stared for only a moment. Then she smiled and went to the bar to get him a plate of food and a drink. He sat at a table and waited for her to serve that and to sit with him.

"I was thinking you wouldn't come back."

"I had a lot to do. I wasn't sure I was going to come back, but here I am. Now, I have to ask you. Would you consider spending your life with a man who can be moody and sometimes downright hard to live with and who doesn't even know what he wants to do with his future right now?" Robin was going to answer, but Adam put up his hand. "No, there's more. First of all, we'd be living on the family ranch, the Ponderosa, because I have no idea what else to do at the moment, but I haven't always been happy there, and I could decide that I want to leave and do something else. You would have to live with that uncertainty of a man not sure where his future will lead."

"Are you done now?" Adam inclined his head to let her know he was finished. "All right, there are things you should know about me too. I'm selfish and greedy." Adam raised an eyebrow. "I could have married at least a dozen or more times over, but I wasn't satisfied with the thought of being a farmer's wife or a rancher's wife. I like nice things. I don't like having to work with my hands doing hard labor. I'm a saloon girl because I get lots of money doing this work. I own lots of nice dresses and jewelry. I have my own carriage. I can do all sorts of sewing and things like that, and I don't mind some cooking and baking, but I don't like the idea of spending my days in the kitchen either. I like to read, play chess, and do all sorts of things like that. This job allows me those luxuries."

Grinning, Adam took her hand. "You know who I am, don't you?"

"Yes, I asked around and found out. I know about the Ponderosa. I know you can afford to support me the way I would enjoy, but I didn't want you to go into this without knowing that's what I expect too. It's the kind of woman I am."

"You're honest."

"Sometimes to a fault."

"I'm familiar with that trait."

"I thought you might be. There's one other thing I would like."

"What's that?"

"I'd like to see what's under that beard."

"If I shave it off, you'll see that I get stubble rather fast. You may have to deal with whisker burn on occasion."

"Hm, I guess I'm willing to make the trade."

"Is there a minister in this town?"

"You want to get married now?"

"If you're agreeable, yes. Why wait?"

"I think I told you that I'm selfish and greedy. I want the wedding and the party. Let's get married on the Ponderosa. Would that be too much to ask?"

"No, in fact, that will help with my father. He's going to love having another wedding. My youngest brother recently married. Now we have to find someone for Hoss."

"Hoss?"

"All right, I guess it's time to tell you all about the family. Then you can tell me about yours."

The bartender called over that Robin should get back to work. She said she quit and was getting married. That led to all sorts of responses and a round of drinks on Adam. They spent the night in her room, loaded up the carriage the next morning, and headed out of town into their uncertain future together.


End file.
